When Prince Jandar saw the cavalry, fully armored and gripping lances, charging straight at them on the road out of the city, he knew he had been exposed.
His Ghazi warriors swiftly reached into their clothes, where they kept the Beast Blood brewed by their tribal Shaman Wizards. If they drank it, they could unleash a terrifying power many tis greater than usual.
Of course, the cost was extrely dire.
The duration of the Beast Blood was limited. After its effect wore off, everyone would fall into a prolonged state of weakness.
The cavalry, with feathers adorning their helts, blocked their path, lances in hand.
From behind ca heavy infantry, clutching two-handed axes and clad in layers of daunting black chain armor, whose sight alone was intimidating.
These cunning Franks had set up a trap with no escape route!
Losa raised his lance and pointed to the opposite side: "Surrender, Turks. I realized sothing was off about you that night, but I never imagined you would actually dare to act."
Clang—
Swords were drawn.
Over a dozen Ghazi warriors protecting Prince Jandar assud defensive stances with tension.
But they were well aware that even if they drank the Beast Blood, death was inevitable today.
They could not defeat a cavalry in the open streets nor carve a bloody path for their master out of the city.
Moreover, Losa had specifically chosen a deserted street to trap them, nullifying any chance for the Turks to incite chaos and escape unnoticed.
Prince Jandar suddenly shouted, "We can talk!"
He spoke rapidly, as if fearing Losa might order an attack at any mont: "The werewolf’s corpse has already been divided by us. We wanted the body to make a potion—for you Franks, it now has no value. You can’t use it as a Holy Object anymore even if you take it back."
Losa sneered: "So?"
Jandar shouted loudly: "We are willing to pay, with all the gold and silver treasures we carry, as well as the horses and pack animals we have stored at our residence!"
Losa snorted disdainfully: "Foolish! If I kill you all, they’ll be mine anyway."
Jandar paused briefly, then shouted again: "But you should know that we co from a Turkic tribe that still adheres to ancient traditions. Our Shaman Wizards possess mysterious and extraordinary powers—that’s why we sought the werewolf’s body. I swear to the Longevity Heaven, if we fight desperately, at least half of you will die!"
"So, letting us go is beneficial for both you and us."
Losa turned to look at Furinjira.
She whispered imdiately, "Indeed, there’s a strange aura. But with the big guy and around, even if a fight breaks out, we shouldn’t suffer many losses."
"How many is ’not many’?"
Losa pondered briefly and still said, "If you had requested a trade at the very beginning, I might have agreed."
"However, you chose despicable theft, and now you’re proposing a trade after being caught. If I agree to this, what of Jerusalem’s laws? How should I explain to high-ranking clergy like Archbishop William?"
Prince Jandar asked nervously, "What exactly do you want? Speak clearly. We have already paid every price possible. If we can’t co to an agreent—the people of Longevity Heaven will never fear death!"
Losa bluntly stated, "Add more money."
Prince Jandar retorted angrily, "But we’ve already decided to surrender all our wealth to you. Do you want us to sell ourselves into slavery to serve you too?"
"I tell you, this is impossible. The people of Longevity Heaven are free-flying eagles and will never serve you heretics in humiliation!"
Losa thought for a mont, sowhat unwillingly saying, "Perhaps add sothing like the magic potion recipe, or the esoteric knowledge of your Shaman Wizards?"
Prince Jandar flatly refused: "No, that’s impossible. These are secrets known only to our Shaman Wizards. We will not divulge them to you."
Seeing that there seed to be no more prospects for extracting additional gains.
Losa hesitated, then said, "Very well. I swear in the na of the Heavenly Father, if you lay down your weapons and hand over all possessions, you will be allowed to leave Jerusalem."
Prince Jandar breathed a sigh of relief: "Lay down your weapons. I’ve heard of this Losa. He’s a devout man; such a person’s oath is reliable."
"Phew—"
Losa turned towards the sound, only to find it was Furinjira.
She coughed lightly to cover up, saying, "I choked on my own saliva."
Losa’s n escorted them back to their lodgings, collecting the leather, gold and silver coins, gems, and valuable clothing they had brought, roughly estimating they were worth five hundred Suludes—a respectable amount.
Losa also left them so coins, barely enough for their basic lodging and als for the next few days.
As for what fate awaited Archbishop William because of this, Losa didn’t care.
After all, he had co out victorious.
A werewolf’s corpse had brought him both prestige and wealth, providing both form and substance.
Only Archbishop William was left with a wounded pride!
Before departing, Prince Jandar curiously asked, "By the way, I have a question for you: What is ’Tifa’? I an, the phrase you set for the cathedral guards, ’Shandy District cannot be without Tifa’—what does it an?"
Losa’s face showed an unusual expression of peculiarity. He paused before fabricating a response: "It’s ancient North Language, ant to emphasize Jerusalem’s importance to Christians."
"I see."
Prince Jandar had a look of revelation: "Then farewell, Baron Losa. You are a greedy man but also a man of integrity. I am willing to deal with such Franks. Perhaps one day, we will et again under better circumstances."
"Ha, if we are to beco enemies, I hope you’ll be carrying plenty of wealth then."
Losa and his company watched as the Turks departed.
Furin asked with so confusion, "If we don’t act now, they’ll truly escape!"
Losa shook his head: "They’re already squeezed dry; haven’t you seen that they’re now forced to leave on foot? What benefit is there in killing them all?"
These Turks were re thieves, not heinous murderers. The ’fine’ was punishnt enough.
Returning to the city,
A cavalryman covered in yellow dust galloped down the street, shouting loudly as he rode: "Saladin is coming! His army is advancing from the east, nearing the walls of Kaler Castle."
Losa was montarily stunned.
The day had finally co.
He mounted his horse quickly, speaking at a rapid pace:
"Hans, return to the Knight Order and order all mbers—whether they are soldiers, feudal knights, or hired knights—to return to their posts and camps imdiately, ready to leave Jerusalem for battle at any mont.
Furin and Prajna, co with to the great hall. Reynard’s plea for help must have already reached the throne. Right now, the most urgent thing is to secure a favorable position in the expedition army."
The original commander of the expedition army would inevitably be chosen from mbers of the Empress Faction. After all, the number of nobles rallying behind them was simply too large.
If the commander were anyone else, they wouldn’t be accepted.
However, it’s known that a key figure in the Empress Faction, Count Reynard of Kaler Castle, is currently besieged by the enemy and can’t possibly serve as the commander.
If they can nominate the most esteed Baron Godfrey in the city as commander-in-chief, it would undoubtedly be advantageous for him.
In the past, the commander of the expeditionary force was King Guy, who had ascended to the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem by marrying Sibilla.
His foolishness and eagerness to prove himself and to establish his authority led to his decision to engage in battle, resulting in a catastrophic loss of the entire Jerusalem army.
This demonstrates the extent of harm an inept commander can have on an army.
The advantage with having the wise Baron Godfrey is that he would heed Losa’s counsel and have the discretion to choose his own assignnts.
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